Who Owns the Right to Store Gas?

Ownership and Title
1

Much of the propaganda published by the Federal Government, FERC, EIA agencies and Natural Gas lobbyists groups state that gas and pipeline companies own the underground storage caverns on private property. This is false fake propaganda. I am encouraged to see some published opinions are beginning to challenge this false propaganda.

Here is a link to a recent study of case law that bears out the truth that private landowners own these extremely valuable scarce underground caverns: http://www.duqlawblogs.org/joule/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Who-Owns-the-Right-to-Store-Gas-A-Survey-of-Pore-Space-Ownership-in-U.S.-Jurisdictions-.pdf

2

If it's established case law in Texas and every other state that I have researched, is that the owner of the intersitual space is owned by the owner of the soil (surface owner).

Buddy Cotten

3

Buddy, that is a very, very neat reply from you. I really like this. This begs the obvious question:

How does the surface owners get payment when they are not being paid?

4

Did the owners execute an underground gas storage agreement?

5

Many landowners back in the 1950's were coerced into signing crooked "perpetual leases" that bind all future heirs to the leases. These landowners were coerced into signing these leases under threat of eminent domain (might as well sign we are going to get it anyway.)

In my state, Mississippi, the supreme court has spoken against perpetual leases and many states have legislation against these leases.